Hello 510 peeps!
I've been a member on NICO for a few years but never really spent much time over here in the Datsun 510 section. Mostly just lurking around and checking out your rids from afar, wishing I had the opportunity to purchase a 510. I actually found my 240Z while searching Craigsist in AZ, long story, different forum. My 240Z is just about done now and I have been looking around again for my next project and an opportunity popped up that I could not pass up on.

Let me introduce my new pride and joy! History is a Georgia car transported to Findlay OH.



It looks like it originally had a black vinyl roof that was removed and primered, Body is really solid, Floors are going to need a bunch of work, but it runs!
It had great documentation and history files. L20 head swapped. Also has manual 5 speed. The brake lights did not work and there was a really strong smell of fuel so I figured we should haul the car back to Columbus to be safe. Day rates are $59 for trailer and my friend JR works for beer and fried bologna sandwiches.



I now have the car back home in the garage and I am starting to get it ready for driving.



Not really sure what the end result will be but I will be sure to update this blog as I go.

Gord

A quick update.

I have been having a blast running around Columbus in my new Dime Getting all sorts of "thumbs up" . It seems everybody enjoys seeing the old cars out on the road.



One of the first things that needed immediate attention was the fuel smell. The fuel hose that goes from the fuel tank, which is right behind the back seat, and the filler neck is made up of a few sections of rubber hose and steel pipe. The rubber parts have shrunk and cracked and spill fuel and vent into the car trunk area. I got the straight 2.250 tubing at NAPA. I had to go out on the internet to find a replacement fill adapter (thanks AZhitman ). Now I have a safe fuel tank and vent system.



The adapter had shrunk a little-bit so I boiled it in water and stuffed a tennis ball in it to stretch it prior to screwing it in place. Worked like a champ.



Another thing was my rear left brake was dragging. I figured this out after jacking it up and checking everything out. The slave cylinder needed a good cleaning and I ended up cleaning and lubing the adjuster as well. Now everything moves nice an smooth.



I ended up moving around to all four corners, checking them all out. Everything else was good except for the right side rear drum adjustment was off. I ended up removing and lubing that up. It turns out I have disc brakes on front. For some reason I thought they came with drums on a four corners. Go figure



Did another look around and found a few more bushings totally worn out. Every bushing is going to need replaced.



Next on the list of things to do was fix the speedo. It ended up needing a drive cable. It just so happens that I have a left over drive cable from my 1970 240Z. Almost the same length. About a foot longer but had the same ends on it. It fit without any problems.



It works! I test drove this afternoon. I think it is a little off, maybe indicates a little fast. My guess is the 5 speed is a swap from the looks of things around it and I may have to figure out the final drive gear ratio.

While I was under the car I reviewed the rusty floor panels. It incredible how the rest of the car is so solid and the floors are toast at the bottom.



The same thing was with my 240Z. They seem to rust from the inside out at the low points. They are pretty flat so I'm not too worried about having to replace them. Easy fix.

I'm starting to do a lot of reading on the 510. Starting to devise a plan. I have a long way to go.


Gord

Subscribed! Is this going to be a restore like the 240Z?

Too cool - I'm sure this one will get your usual meticulous care and attention to detail.

Anything I can do to help, gimme a shout!

Hey Gordon I have a header that I would gladly donate to the 510. If interested just let me know, May have other spare parts also mostly engine parts.

^ Herman is the man!!!

darylzero wrote:Subscribed! Is this going to be a restore like the 240Z?

Yes!

AZhitman wrote:Anything I can do to help, gimme a shout!

You know I will!

hcarrickz3 wrote:Hey Gordon I have a header that I would gladly donate to the 510. If interested just let me know, May have other spare parts also mostly engine parts.

I am not quite sure what engine will end up in the Dime, but I will let you know if I need any parts.

AZhitman wrote:^ Herman is the man!!!

^^^^X2

Update

My friend JR recently got a 240Z and along with the car came a set of wheels he was not especially fond of. He swapped them out for a set of used Panasports and had the old ones laying around...SCORE! I get to run around on some good rubber until my set gets here.

Off with the 13" and on with the 14"







I like it! It Drives a lot better and the old tires were age cracked pretty bad.

Playing with the idle and mixtures got the engine to idle better. The timing is moving around quite a bit. I also replaced the cap and rotor, it was pretty well messed up. I think the shaft in the distributor is worn or the advance plate is sticking or a vacuum line clogged. Maybe a tear-down is in order. I know the engine will not stay in there for long but it is still a fun challenge to get things right. I might rebuild the carb too...

The parts should start arriving this week. I'm looking forward to it!

Gord

subscribed.

May I suggest proper tires this time?

Subscribed

OK. Time for another update.

The next thing I wanted to tackle was replacing some of the window seals. They are quite bad and I don't want to get caught in a rain storm and have water starting any more rust. The rear quarter windows are the worst and have some signs of rust around the corners so...

Out come the rear quarter windows for seal replacement.



This picture shows how crispy the seals are. Also the dreaded rust. It must be removed and treated.



I squirted everything down with WD40. I let it work its magic and managed to get most of the screws holding it together out. I had a few I needed to drill out. Simple little M4X7.5 screws.



Ewwww



OK. Now the work really started. This was hard to get out. The seals held the window really tight. but it did eventually come out. Lots of WD40 did the trick.



I wire brushed the rust and old seal away using a bunch of different wire wheels and scrapers. Finally got it down to all loose rust was off. I am going to use 3 step metal treatment. POR15 seems the best result paint but I did have success using the KBS RUST seal brand paint. It cost a bit less and is grey in color.

First step is a good wash with de-greaser. Next comes the metal prep or etching part.



Did not take too long to finish prep work.



Next step, brush on the paint sealer.



I'm going to assemble the windows with seals purchased from Mike at Datsunlandsocal. That's the next step.

Gord

Awesome! It was fun looking through all the pages of your 240 build and I'm excited to follow this one as well. I would love to pick one of these up - beautiful car. Dare I ask what your new wheels will be?

Time for an update!
Things are pretty busy around here the last 2-3 weeks.

I managed to drag my tool box home from work. I was tired of the bringing tools back and forth to work and I really don't use them much at work anymore. I spent one weekend getting it organized and all my tools hidden around the garage back in the drawers and organized.



I also helped JR pick out a 5-speed transmission for his 240Z. One had a bunch of metal on the magnetic drain plug so I ended up getting that one for next to nothing. More on that at a later date.




So...back to the dime

I put the quarter windows back together using the new window seals. First the inner ones. They required being "notched" to clear end brackets and window latch bracket. I did way better on the second one. Much better fit.



Next was the outer seal. It was a perfect fit.



Overall I was impressed with the datsunlandsocal stuff. Really fit well.
I do not have to worry about water leaks back here and the rust is stopped in this area.




Next up is the doors.

Started with them attached to the car. I was only going to replace the window felt tracks and window sil seals.



I found a bunch of surface rust at the bottom of the door on the inside so...
Off comes door



Same drill for any rust. Clean, treat, seal.



I chose to use the same vendor for the door sil seals. That's where you rest your arm when the window is open. Here is old and new outer seal. Old was toast. Thats where the water was entering the door and causing the rust.



I used cloths-pins to clamp and bond seal to outside trim.



The doors are still work in progress. More to come on that at a later date.

This past week I ended up doing my oil changes on the 240Z getting ready for NICOfest at the dragon in two weeks. I have to work this coming weekend and my work on the doors will have to wait.

Also picked up a set of 280ZX front struts.



Those will get modified this winter

That's it for now
Gord

A little update

Last weekend was spent carving up the roads in North Carolina in my 240Z with the NICOfest crew. For those of you who have not enjoyed those roads or those friends please come out next year. It was a blast!



Back to the Dime.

I found a set of SSR wheels that I think are going to be perfect for the 510. 15X7 0 off-set. They are a bit ruff and are going to need a good going over. The first step was to take them to Wheel medic to have the curb rash and dents removed. Next step was disassemble and clean.



Hardware was cleaned in walnut shell vibro-cleaner. The corrosion was mostly on the lock nuts.''

Pretty big improvement with a good cleaning.



These are "reverse" lip so the flat part is on the outside. Pretty clean looking.




One down...three to go...



I am not going to paint them yet. I'll wait for the final paint job on the car to select the color of the wheels.



All done today. Next step is to select some tires.

Gord

First a Z, now a 510, cannot wait to see the rest of the progress on this build.

Well...It's time to start on the floors.

I figured I better pull up the scab patches and see how bad it really is. I new from the start I was going to do this but have put off not being able to drive around. It's starting to get pretty cold out and we're about done with the car shows and cruse ins and stuff.

I parked the dime in position "A" in the garage. This should be about where she will sit for the next 6 months or so.



The seats and carpet came out first, exposing the carnage.



It appears to be metal wire reinforced concrete/bondo. Parts of the wire are screwed into the floor.



I purchased a power grinder when I started working on the Z build and has been my favorite purchase so far. I got this one at harbor freight and it is still going strong. With a combination of cutting wheels and wire wheels, this should not take long.



Peels right off. A good example of why this method is a bad way to repair.



Right side needs front and rear.



Under back seat has only a little small hole. I can do a small patch here.



Drivers side looks just as bad.





OK. Next step is to order the floors and start removal of this cancer. This is where it gets fun.

A couple thoughts, while you're at it, Gord... Those braces where the seat mount? Great for rigidity, but they really make it hard to mount a proper seat. Might be a good time to tack in a temp brace (across the sills) and weld in a proper structural brace that won't interfere with seat mounting.

I'm seeing a full-scale 510 shell media blast in your future...

Really excited to see the final product.

Impressive build. It's motivating in a big way. Need to make more time to work on Wilma. Thanks for the updates!!

I had some time today to get to work on the Dime. My floor pans are ordered and I'm going to start fixing the areas around the rockers and seat supports and bracing. I figured I should get the doors out of the way first.



Next on the agenda would be the front bumper and grill.



Then the fenders.



Very happy with the condition of the structural areas up front. I was a little worried but it appears to be rust free up here on both sides.



I little cancer on the lower left side door frame.



Right side looks clean at that same area. I'll start cutting tomorrow. I need to get some primer as well.

That's it for today.

Gord

Finally get a chance to update the 510 repairs.

I have been playing with the sheet metal repairs. I'm not really good at this kind of work, so I really probably take too long. I certainly would go broke doing it for a living.

So I cut the damaged area out of the forward side of the drivers side rocker panel. Rust will be removed.



It was all bent up and the primary bolt for the front fender had not been used for several repairs.



I purchased a rocker from Fotofab. It had the forward part that included the front fender attachment nutplate on bottom. I can use what is left over from this particular repair on other areas of the cars rockers later on.



Tach welds



stitch welds on top...connect the dots.



grind and quick shot of primer





Not bad. A little sand fill before final paint job will cover imperfections on rocker. Next step here is to repair bottom of "A" pillar. I must remove the rusty bits...

Thats it for now

Gord

Another update
I got the bottom of the "A" pillar patched up.

Got to try out my new shear.



It made short work of this little piece of metal.



No need for flush patch. This area is covered by fender. This will be sealed up later.



Came out great.



And now back to the floors. I'm starting with the driver side, forward first.

Starting with seat support. Lots of spot weld to remove. Finding them isn't all that easy. Especially with the rust.



I'm going to change this setup for seat support. This is pretty weak especially with some nice aftermarket seats.



Used the nibbler to cut out rusty bits.



More spot welds.



About half a days work, but I got it out.



APC floor panel. Pretty nice looking.



Cut, fit, cut, fit.....cleco's help keep everything in place.



making some progress.




Gord

Happy New year everybody!

I got some more stuff on the floors done.

I have the new floor sitting in place perfect. Now I just need to trim more of the rusty bits.



This little piece on the side needed some attention.



Now a good cleanup with solvent and some weld-able epoxy primer.



The new floor with all the spot welt holes punched and drilled. Th back side has the primer as well.



Then get busy with the MIG welder.



Now on to the forward seat support. It looks a little ruff...



But it cleaned up well.



Cleco'd back in place. All ready to be welded back in place.



That's it for this weekend. Time for a beer.

Gord

Update for today.

I had to fill the spot weld holes I drilled in the seat support bracket. I'm using the copper behind hole to weld against.



I then punched a bunch of new smaller holes in it and spot welded it in place.



OK...1/4 of the way there. Starting on the passenger front side tomorrow.



Gord

any updates?

Hello Gord, my name is Ryan. I just read the 240z build, great job!!! I was just wondering if you had any updates on the 510, I cant wait to see how this one will end!! Hopefully it will be as epic as the last.

Hi Ryan
I just got the 510 in position and on jacks for the winter. Had a little too much on my plate this summer and did not do a thing to it. I plan on hitting it hard every weekend and we should see some progress soon.
Gord

SLACKER!

A looooooooooooooong overdue update.

First let me start out by saying that I installed a furnace in my garage. It was starting to be "not fun" anymore working in the cold so much. This is going to be a big help with the winter projects. My summers seem to go by so fast and I was falling way behind.



The passenger side needed the floor replaced but also nneded repairs to firewall too. It also needed some attention to the forward jacking point on the rocker panel.



Same process as the drivers side. Drill out spot welds and remove seat support. Remove floor in pieces.







Yucky bits where lower firewall and tunnel and floor meet.



More floor removal.



I got into the hand forming of the steel because I could not locate any parts for the firewall here in Ohio, and it seemed like a good opportunity to learn how to make stuff. Looks pretty simple right? I made a form out of MDF that mirrored the lower corner of the firewall.



I used a rivet gun with 1" radius planishing hammer set to form metal into form. Worked first time. Yea.



Starting the fitting process.



Butt welded together. I'm really happy with how it turned out.



I started on the passenger floor. This should take a couple days...




While I'm working on front floors, I keep looking back at the rear floors. I'm getting some ideas on how to tackle that. I also want to get rid of the way the front seats are mounted to the floor. I am going to change the front seats because they offer almost no side support so a cross brace across the back would offer the most options for seats.

Gord

A quick update.

Forward seat support needed some TLC. Pretty much like the drivers side support.



More trimming and fitting.



I'm thinking this finally looks like progress.



And better than last chicken wire and bondo repairs.



That's it for this weekend. Time for a beer.

Gord

A little update.

Well, I am finally finished with the front floors. This took way too long to get done.I think it was a combination of not being able to get time, the firewall repairs, and having a really cold winter last year. They did turn out perfect!



I have a bunch of motivation to get the back seat floors done before spring. I also am at a stage that I will need to start purchasing some pretty expensive things. The seats for example. If I choose to get something with a little more support for racing, the way the 510 mounts them to the floor will not do. I will have to make some rear seat supports to better hold them in place. I have been staring at them for A while and I think I have a good plan figured out...

Gord